OUR MIRACULOUS LADY, RAB

To kneel modestly before her
In the glory of pain and the glory of dreams
As if before a living Jerusalem
To cry, and to state your faith
And let every breath be a new life
And each tear, another shining gem.
Tin Ujević

Our
Miraculous Lady
Numerous fables and legends and fables have been interwoven into the
more than 2000 years of history of Rab, “the city of art”. One of
the most treasured is connected to the healing of Luchina de Dominis,
a noblewoman from Rab.
During her ordainment (in 1530), Luchina brought the icon of the
Mother of God holding Christ to the monastery, which is believed to
be the reason for her miraculous recovery from a serious illness.
From that point to today, there have been many cases of miraculous
healings, salvations and conversions that have been connected to
this Cretan-Byzantine icon (first half of the 16th century). The
monastery transcripts and valuable votive gifts testify to many such
events.
The sanctuary Our Lady of Rab (Our Lady of Miracles, Our Miraculous
Lady) is located in the Benedict monastery, the Saint Andrew
monastery. A special altar was erected for the icon (18th century).
The silver and gold frame is a very valuable work by a Venetian
goldsmith (18th century).
Once a year (the last Sunday in April), a large procession of the
“Crosses” is held (locals come from all towns on the island of Rab
and are led by the parish cross, specially decorated); the icon is
then carried to the former Rab Cathedral. Here, the icon is
displayed during May, the month of Mary.

How to get to the church:
- on the island of Rab, ferry (Jablanac-Mišnjak) daily throughout
the year
- ferry (Baška, Island of Krk- Lopar) daily from June to October
Pilgrimage:
April third Sunday, “Crosses”

Mother of God of Lopar
The second well-known pilgrimage site dedicated to Mary is situated
at the northern end of the Island of Rab, in the town of Lopar.
Above the Lopar port and ferry station, on a plateau which was
formerly the graveyard, now sits the Church of the Birth of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God of Lopar.
This church was first mentioned in the first half of the 14th
century, and numerous renovations have left their marks until today.
The largest treasure of the sanctuary, the reason many come seeking
mercy, forgiveness and peace, is the colourful, wooden, rustic
relief from the late-Romantic period depicting Saint Anne and the
Mother of God in her arms. The relief is positioned at the top of
the main altar (1905), over Our Lady of Lourdes.
Our Lady of Lopar is a witness to the faith and influence of
pilgrims from the entire island, as well as neighbouring islands and
the mainland. They gather in extremely large numbers on the feast of
the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (8 September), as well as throughout
the entire year.
The signs of faithfulness and gratitude by the pilgrims is clearly
seen in the displayed models of boats and ships and particularly the
colourful handkerchiefs that are given as maiden gifts to Our Lady
before marriage and other special occasions.